Elite Auctions Presents The Swarovski Estate in Vaquero
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A circular driveway wraps around the home to a four-car garage. The private guest cottage is located beside the pool and behind the garage.
One of the most prestigious luxury homes in this part of the country could be yours. The Swarovski Vaquero estate in Westlake, Texas is being auctioned without reserve by Elite Auctions on Friday, June 30.
William S. Briggs was the architect of this 8,153-square-foot Hill Country Modern, and it’s one of his favorite designs. “I would do this house again today,” Briggs said. “I enjoyed the entire process of building this home, and the client was the best part of it.”
The home at 2208 Vaquero Estates Boulevard was created for the very tasteful Vanessa Swarovski. Yes, that Swarovski, the great-great-granddaughter of Daniel Swarovski, founder of the famous Austrian crystal company and head of her own jewelry brand, VSP Company.
Marry great taste with extraordinary architectural talent, and the result is a home that is a timeless classic.
The luxury estate includes a sunroom, a media room, home gym, and a deck with views of the Vaquero Club Golf Course
“We try to avoid the current trend and focus on things that will hold together visually and be pleasing for a long time,” Briggs said. “Every client comes to a project with ideas, and some are more concrete than others. Swarovski had ideas about the character and feel of the house and how it would sit on the lot. She didn’t want the look of the single large house that dominates the landscape, but did want a home with a more human scale and feel.”
With 1.7 acres and a gently rolling topography, Briggs had plenty of room to unleash his creativity. Since Swarovski did not want a grand looking manor house, Briggs introduced the concept of a collection of smaller buildings that would feel as if they grew up together over a period of years.
“It’s a concept more like a village you’d see in Tuscany that comes collectively together,” Briggs said. “The composition is much more dynamic. The individual pieces hold their own, but collectively they are assembled to create a more complex compositional dynamic that pulls together as a whole.”
The classic Austin stone exterior and metal roof set the pace for what is to come when you enter the large steel-framed glass entry doors. Light is a predominant factor in the home. It fills the rooms beautifully and is especially noticeable in the design of the great room. Briggs added clerestory windows above the wall of glass doors leading to the back patio, pool, and grounds.
“We wanted to be true to the original concept with shaded lower windows,” Briggs said. “If you put smaller windows up high you get the light you need. You get the sun in a direct manner and counterbalance the overall natural light scheme of the house. It never feels dark at one end or light at the other.”
Repetition is purposefully designed into the home, from doors and windows to cabinetry and built-ins.
“We really wanted to accomplish two specific things,” Briggs said. “One is to have a consistency of geometry. If you can repeat motifs, then when you wander from one end of the home to the other, you have a continuity. We use geometry in a way that is calming, to create a sense of order and repose.
The gourmet kitchen features beautiful lacquered cabinets and Carrara marble on the island.
Secondary family living space with vaulted pine washed ceilings and skylights with a pool view.
The first-floor master suite has a relaxation room with access to an outdoor patio, a private study, and dual oversized walk-in closets with built-in wardrobes.
The master bathroom features a steam shower, soaking tub, and dual vanities.
The guest cottage has a private patio with a shaded pergola supported by solid single pieces of limestone.
The elements in this home are spectacular, from paint-washed beams to wonderfully finished cabinets. Then, of course, there is the one thing you will not find in any other home: the lighting.
“There are crystals on every one of the recessed lights throughout the home,” Market Director and Partner with Elite Auctions, Alicia Chmielewski said. “It’s so subtle, but it creates that rainbow effect on the ceiling.” One of the many perks of having a crystal company in the family is creating your own one-of-a-kind light fixtures.
This is a home created for family living. There are six bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, and a powder bath as well as a 770-square-foot guest house with a pergola-shaded porch.
“It’s stunning,” Chmielewski said. “The view from every window to the backyard is breathtaking.”
It’s not only stunning, this estate is also highly livable. You can easily imagine kids and dogs being right at home here and just as easily imagine entertaining on a grand scale.
“What matters to me most is the feel and flow of a home, how it supports living in it, and how you move through it that makes day to day sense,” Briggs said. “Your house should not compete with your time. It’s a support system to a good life. This is a house that helps you live and enjoy life.”
We know you’re eager to see this beautiful property so we’re offering a sneak peek on June 13th and we will have William Briggs as a guest speaker. We hope you’ll join us and see the incredible details of this home that photographs simply cannot provide. To attend, you must RSVP for gate access to the neighborhood.
Prospective buyers can see the property starting on Saturday, June 10th. Private showings are available by appointment. The final opportunity to tour will be held the day before the auction on Thursday, June 29, 2017. Tours can be scheduled by calling 214-326-1875 locally, Elite Auctions at 844-94-ELITE or by e-mailing [email protected].
The absolute auction will be held onsite at 2208 Vaquero Estates Boulevard in Westlake, Texas, 76262 on Friday, June 30, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. CDT. Bids will also be accepted via the Elite Auctions live bidding mobile application. Download the mobile app for iPhone at http://apple.co/2r20PLE or for Android at https://play.google.com/store/apps. The app can also be downloaded by visiting the App Store on an iOS or Google Play-supported smartphone. Broker participation is invited.
